Armor & Mobility

SEP-OCT 2016

Military magazines in the United States and Canada, covering Armor and Mobility, focuses on tactical vehicles, C4ISR, Special Operations Forces, latest soldier equipment, shelters, and key DoD programs

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 39 of 47

A&M: Please speak to some primary areas that USMC logisticians are
facing in today's complex maritime/land combined environment.
Lt. Gen. Dana: We believe we are in the midst of an evolution of logistical
affairs in the Marine Corps. On the one hand, our current inventory of
aircraft, vehicles, and weapon systems are more lethal, maneuverable,
and survivable than any time in our history. On the other hand, these
systems are heavier and more logistics intensive. This means that in
the next 15-20 years, our Corps will experience a blend of old and new
logistics, an era we are calling hybrid logistics.
We will still have to move large quantities of fuel, water, and
ammunition throughout the battlespace, but unmanned platforms, 3D
printing, and predictive maintenance have the potential to optimize
tactical distribution, enhance the supply chain, and increase equipment
readiness. Marine Corps logisticians will have to support Marine Air
Ground Task Forces operating across the Range of Military Operations
in all five dimensions of warfare. To do this, we are proposing an
evolutionary shift in how Marines provide support.
In conflicts to date, we have built a mountain of logistics at the
operational level, while radiating tactical logistics support from that
main (and vulnerable) hub. In the future, we will create a hybrid model
that mixes traditional stockpiling with caches, on-call modular logistics
packages, and technology enhanced lift and distribution. Further, hybrid
logistics must be capable of operating in an Anti-Access/Area Denial
environment. Finally, we will need to support forces that are operating
in a distributed manner, while also having the ability to aggregate and
reposition those forces rapidly.
A&M: From a lighten-the-load perspective, please speak to ways your
office is working to minimize Marines/Joint Warfighter burdens and
challenges associated with them.
Lt. Gen. Dana: This is an operational imperative---our expeditionary
Marine Corps requires a logistics capability that is leaner, lighter, and
less energy intensive.
We are working with our service counterparts and Marine Corps
stakeholders to lighten the load for the individual Marine. A Marine in
WWII landed with 30-35 pounds of gear, while today's Marines carry
upwards of 100 pounds. We have asked industry to find ways to reduce
the weight of protective body armor, ammunition, and communications
gear. Many experts have indicated that the "optimal load" for a person
is ¼ their body weight—so for a 200 pound Marine, that Marine is still
carrying double the recommended weight.
We are also looking for ways to make "each Marine a producer"
through the use of solar panels to charge batteries and individual water
purification kits. There are several companies that have made exciting
advances in the development and production of lightweight, but
durable plastic (polymer) ammunition. This ammunition is 35 percent
Armor & Mobility had the recent privilege of speaking with Lt. Gen. Michael Dana, Deputy Commandant for
Installations & Logistics, U.S. Marine Corps, regarding continuing efforts to sustain older and integrate newer
capabilities within a changing Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) force structure in support of leaner, lighter, and
less energy-consumptive operations.
HYBRID LOGISTICS: A BLEND OF OLD AND NEW
1. Depictions of future integrated U.S. Marine Corps Marine
Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) combat operations from
an Expeditionary Force-21 Concept perspective (USMC)
2. Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow Daniel Contreras of Production Plant Barstow gives
Lt. Gen. Michael Dana, Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, a brief on vari-
ous combat vehicles repaired at PPB aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, CA. (U.S.
Marine Corps photo by Carlos Guerra, Barstow Combat Camera/Released)
1
2
LOGISTICS: USMC EXPEDITIONARY OPS
www.tacticaldefensemedia.com
38 | Armor & Mobility September/October 2016